Sliding board, particularly a ski, and a method for the production thereof

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a sliding board, particularly a ski, comprising a sliding surface ( 5 ), an upper shell ( 4 ), and a core ( 3 ), which are separated from one another by a prepeg layer ( 9 ), and optional steel edges ( 6 ), an upper web ( 8 ) and a lower web ( 7 ), and comprising at least one interface element ( 10 ), which is joined by means of at least one anchoring element ( 19 ) to the sliding board body and which is provided for mounting at least one binding. The anchoring element(s) ( 19 ) are bound by the cured resin material of the prepeg layer(s) ( 2, 9 ) during the pressing process.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a 35 U.S.C. §371 national phase conversion of PCT/EP2004/001654 filed Feb. 20, 2004, which claims priority of Austrian application no. A 353/2003 filed Mar. 7, 2003, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a sliding board, in particular a ski, with a running surface, an upper shell, a core, and optionally with steel edges, an upper web and a lower web. It relates more particularly to a ski with at least one interface element, connected to the sliding board body by means of at least one anchoring element, for arranging at least one binding element on the upper side of the sliding board.

The invention also relates to a method for the production of a sliding board, in particular a ski, in which a running surface, optionally with steel edges, a core, an upper shell, an upper web and a lower web, are built up in layers and interconnected or pressed together in a mold under pressure and heat.

2. Related Art

A sliding board with a profiled rail system, consisting of at least one rail extending in the longitudinal direction of the sliding board, the rail being connected to the sliding board body by a dowel connection or anchoring via at least one formed-on dowel or dowel portion, is known from EP-A-1 161 972. The fastening of the profiled rails is effected on the finished sliding board and consequently only replaces the otherwise usual screw fastening. In order to provide a sliding board with a premounted profiled rail system, it is therefore necessary to carry out fastening and mounting operations on the finished sliding board.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a sliding board which does not have this disadvantage.

According to a feature of the invention, the object is achieved by virtue of the fact that the core has a layered construction with at least two layers separated from one another by a prepreg layer, the anchoring element(s) being integrated into the core via the curing resin material of the prepreg layer(s).

According to this feature of the invention, the interface elements, which bring about the connection to the binding parts arranged on the sliding board, are therefore already integrated into the construction of the sliding board during its production. The otherwise usual subsequent fastening operations for these interface elements on the sliding board, such as screwing-on, are therefore dispensed with. The production of the sliding board is very simple, economical and reliable, and above all the activities for arranging bindings—ski bindings or snowboard bindings—are rationalized considerably.

According to the method according to the invention, the core is constructed from at least two material layers which are separated from one another by a prepreg layer. Bores or holes, which form one or more receiving location(s) for one or more anchoring element(s) of at least one interface element positioned on the upper shell, are made in the components provided above the core and in the core. The interface element is positioned in the receiving location(s), and the ski is introduced into the mold and undergoes a pressing operation.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the core is constructed from more than two layers of the core material and in particular at least partly enveloped in a further prepreg layer. These measures are advantageous for firm anchoring of the interface element. The prepreg envelope also simplifies handling of the ski components during construction of the ski.

According to other aspects of the invention, the anchoring elements can be provided with grooves, indentations or the like, into which the resin material of the prepreg layers penetrates. This measure as well contributes to anchoring the interface elements permanently in the sliding board.

In one of the possible embodiments of the invention, the anchoring elements can be individual, for example bolt-shaped or pin-shaped projections of the interface element. In another embodiment of the invention, the anchoring elements can be projecting parts of elongate design of the interface element. Both designs ensure secure integration of the interface elements into the ski construction and are easy to handle during production of the ski.

There are many possible designs for the interface element(s). The interface element can thus, for example, be or have a guide element profiled with a profiled-rail-like shape. Also possible is a one-piece design of the interface element as a plate, in particular for arranging binding parts. A design in which the interface element(s) is (are) already components of the binding is also of particular advantage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features, advantages and details of the invention are described in greater detail with reference to the drawings, which represent diagrammatically a number of illustrative embodiments and in which:

FIG. 1 shows a cross section through a ski made according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal section through a part of the ski from FIG. 1 along the line II-II in FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 shows in an illustration similar to FIG. 2 a ski made according to another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a cross section through an embodiment of a ski 1, which has a core 3, an upper shell 4 forming the ski upper side and the longitudinal sides of the ski 1, a running surface 5, edges 6 made of steel and a lower web 7 arranged between these. The core 3 is a core which is laminated from a number of layers and the configuration of which is considered in greater detail below. The outer envelope of the core 3, which is regarded as a component of the core 3, is a prepreg layer 2 surrounding it, which is made in a known manner of fabric, scrim or the like made of fibers, preferably made of glass, aramid or plastic, embedded in plastic material, for example epoxy resin or phenolic resin. The enclosed core 3 forms what is known as the torsion box of the ski 1. A further layer reinforcing the ski construction, the upper web 8, is located between the upper shell 4 and the prepreg layer 2. The construction of the ski 1 can comprise further layers or intermediate layers (not illustrated) made of various materials. All the parts of the ski 1 are in particular premolded and prefabricated parts.

In the design shown, the core 3 has three interconnected wood layers 3 a, which are interconnected by means of further prepreg layers 9 and the prepreg layer 2. Connection is effected during the pressing operation of the ski 1 in a mold with pressure and heat applied by liquefying and subsequently curing the synthetic resin in the prepreg layers 9 and the prepreg envelope 2.

In those regions where a ski binding or a ski binding part for example is to be arranged on the upper side of the ski 1, holes or openings aligned with one another, which form receiving locations 18 for anchoring elements 19 of a pair of guide elements 10 profiled with a rail-like shape, have been made in the core 3 and in the components of the ski 1 provided above the core 3. The anchoring elements 19 are positioned in the receiving locations 18 before the ski undergoes the pressing and molding operation. As FIG. 2 shows, a number of anchoring elements 19, which are each inserted into a receiving location 18, are provided for each guide element 10. The anchoring elements 19 are molded on the guide elements 10, are in particular cylindrical or have the shape of bolts or pins, any other round or angular design being possible as well.

As an alternative to the design shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, elongate receiving openings 18′ running in the longitudinal direction of the ski can, as FIG. 3 shows, be made by forming corresponding holes in the components of the core 3 and in the components of the ski 1 provided above the core 3, into which guide elements 10 can be inserted by means of anchoring elements 19′ likewise of elongate design.

As in particular FIG. 1 shows, the anchoring elements 19 can be provided with circumferential grooves 20 or the like at those places where they come into contact with the prepreg layers 9 or 2 and consequently into contact with the resin material which is liquefied during the pressing operation of the ski 1. These support firm integration of the rail-like guide elements 10 in the ski 1 during the pressing operation of the ski 1.

In the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 as well, the anchoring elements 19′ can be provided with corresponding grooves 20′.

In the embodiments shown, a pair of guide elements 10 profiled with a rail-like shape are provided for each ski binding part (not shown). One-piece profiled rail parts, base-plates with any type of positioning and fixing device for ski binding parts, or other plates can be provided instead of the guide elements 10 and can be provided with anchoring elements 19, 19′.

The guide elements 10 profiled with a rail-like shape shown in the drawing figures are preferably steel or plastic profiles, which are provided laterally with attached profiled parts 11 which in each case point toward the ski side edges and allow a base-plate or other binding part to be pushed on. Any other design for the guide elements profiled with a rail-like shape is of course also possible.

The rail-like guide elements 10 lie with supporting regions 12 on the upper shell 4, so that the guide elements 10 cover the holes for the anchoring elements 19 completely.

During production of the ski 1, the guide elements 10 are inserted with their anchoring elements 19, 19′ into the receiving openings 18, 18′ in the unfinished ski 1 constructed in layers. The ski 1 is then introduced into a mold for curing and connection of its components, and the mold is closed. As already mentioned, firm integration of the guide elements 10 into the ski construction is effected by liquefying and subsequently curing the resin material.

The individual layers of the core 3 separated from one another by prepreg layers can also be made of other materials, for example a plastic material, or of high-resistance foam. Combinations of the materials mentioned with other materials and layers are also conceivable.

The invention has been described with reference to a ski. The invention can of course also find application in other sliding boards, for example snowboards.

Although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the present invention is not limited by the specific disclosure herein. 

1-10. (canceled)
 11. A sliding board, comprising: a running surface, an upper shell, and a core therebetween, and at least one interface element, connected to the sliding board by at least one anchoring element, for securing at least one binding element to the sliding board, the core having a layered construction with at least two layers separated from one another by a prepreg layer comprising curing resin, the at least one anchoring element being integrated into the core of the sliding board via the curing resin material of the prepreg layer.
 12. The sliding board as claimed in claim 11, wherein the core has more than two layers.
 13. The sliding board as claimed in claim 11, further comprising at least one further prepreg layer covering at least one side of said core.
 14. The sliding board as claimed in claim 11, wherein the interface element has a plurality of discrete anchoring elements which project downward into said core.
 15. The sliding board as claimed in claim 14, wherein the interface element has a guide element profiled with a rail-like shape.
 16. The sliding board as claimed in claim 14, wherein the interface element is a plate configured for securing said binding element.
 17. The sliding board as claimed in claim 14, wherein the interface element is integrally formed with the binding element.
 18. The sliding board as claimed in claim 11, wherein the interface element has at least one anchoring element that is elongated in a direction along said sliding board.
 19. The sliding board as claimed in claim 18, wherein the interface element has a guide element profiled with a rail-like shape.
 20. The sliding board as claimed in claim 18, wherein the interface element is a plate configured for securing said binding element.
 21. The sliding board as claimed in claim 18, wherein the interface element is integrally formed with the binding element.
 22. The sliding board as claimed in claim 11, wherein the at least one anchoring element is provided with a recess such as a groove or an indentation into which penetrates the resin material of the prepreg layers.
 23. The sliding board as claimed in claim 11, wherein said sliding board is a ski.
 24. The sliding board as claimed in claim 11, wherein said sliding board is a snowboard.
 25. A method for the production of a sliding board, comprising: a running surface, an upper shell, and a core therebetween, comprising the steps of: constructing the core from at least two material layers which are separated from one another by a prepreg layer, forming one or more receiving location in the upper shell and the core for receiving one or more anchoring element for anchoring at least one interface element on the upper shell, positioning the interface element in the receiving location, and placing the sliding board into a mold and applying pressure and heat. 